WLAD held on September 15 each year aims to raise awareness of a cancer that is currently on the rise. The day provides a focus for patients, doctors, nurses, patients and their families to join forces in a united campaign to inform the Australian community, about Lymphoma, its symptoms and how it affects lives.

World Lymphoma Awareness day is a global initiative hosted by the Lymphoma Coalition, a non profit network organistion of patient groups from around the world including Lymphoma Australia. 

Why do we need World Lymphoma Awareness Day (WLAD)

Lymphoma is increasing in incidence in Australia and this is in line with the increases in this cancer that are also been seen globally.
“Unlike breast, bowel and skin cancer, most people have never heard of lymphoma. Yet it’s the most common blood cancer in Australia, affecting almost 5,000 people each year and is the fifth highest in terms of cancer death rates.  
Through raised awareness of Lymphoma, Australians will have a better chance of recognizing the signs and symptoms, which leads to earlier diagnosis and more timely treatment. 
If you would like to help us raise awareness in Australia during the month of September please contact us on email enquiries@lymphoma.org.au or phone 1800 359 081.

World Lymphoma Awareness day 2009

For World Lymphoma Day, 2009 an exciting approach to increasing community awareness about the signs and symptoms of Lymphoma was pioneered by Roche Products with the support of Lymphoma Australia. R.I.S.E. U.P. (Roche Integrated Support Entourage Unique & Personal) is the first dedicated lymphoma awareness centre to be launched in Second Life®, one of the most popular virtual worlds accessed in Australia.

R.I.S.E. U.P. was launched to fill the major lymphoma ‘knowledge gap’ amongst the Australian general public and was based in a virtual education centre where ambassadors engaged with visitors online. People accessed information on lymphoma and were invited to attend presentations by leading Australian cancer doctors.

Visitors were able to travel around ‘Node Man’ – a giant replica of the human body showing where lymphoma can originate – the largest structure of its kind built on Second Life® to-date, designed to educate people on the common signs and symptoms. R.I.S.E. U.P. was also a place to talk with other people about lymphoma.

Professor Jeffrey Szer, Clinical Haematologist at the Royal Melbourne and Western Hospitals, held two presentations about lymphoma on R.I.S.E. U.P.  “I’m very excited about being involved in one of the first virtual heath education centres and I think R.I.S.E. U.P. is a real innovation.

Virtual worlds provide people with a secure, anonymous environment through which to access information. Whilst this channel will never replace the interaction with a healthcare professional, it is a real step forward in communicating serious health messages to the general public in an era where ‘social media’ is dominating.”

Australians are increasingly going online to search for health information. After consulting with their doctor, the internet is the most popular source of health information and ‘cancer’ is the second most Googled health condition (after pregnancy), generating around 7.7 million search queries each month. Virtual worlds are commonly thought of as places for people to interact, socialise and express themselves.

Yet the use of these online communities is now evolving to communicate the more serious side of life.
There is misinformation on the internet and it is increasingly important for accurate information to be available – especially in online communities in which patients and carers may already be active. “

Recent Research by Lymphoma Australia identified *:

The research was carried out amongst 1,211 Australians in August 2009

Findings include:

• One in five Australians (20%) do not know what lymphoma is and of the people who know it is a cancer, a third (33%) are unable to define what type of cancer
• More Australians are diagnosed with non-Hodgkin lymphoma than Hodgkin lymphoma, yet only one in ten (9%) know the difference between these two cancers
• Nine out of ten people (89%) don’t realise how exactly how common lymphoma is within the general population
• Less than 20% of people are able to list at least one common symptom of lymphoma

*Lymphoma Australia consumer research, 2009 courtesy of Research Now